THE Chinese consortium behind the controversial $300 million takeover of Australia's largest cotton plantation has revealed its reasoning for the bid - to make "more luxury suits" for China's emerging middle class.

China's largest wool and suit producer Shandong Ruyi has indicated it wants more cotton for the linings of its luxury superfine wool suits.

The company's vice president "Madame" Cai Ling Ding said yesterday demand for the luxury suits was growing at 30 per cent a year.

"Ruyi has a special Royal Ruyi line, featured in luxury suits with the end use product being 500,000m (of cotton produced) per year," she said.

The Foreign Investment Review Board recommended to the federal government last Friday that the sale of Cubbie Station be allowed. The Chinese company last year bought a sheep station in Victoria for $14 million to grow more superfine wool.

Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce has called on Australians to lobby against the Cubbie sale, saying it is not in the national interest.

"It's a loss of another section of our prime agricultural land to an overseas interest," Senator Joyce said.

"It's a loss of our biggest water licence ... it's a loss of 13 per cent of our nation's cotton crop."

He called Treasurer Wayne Swan's decision to sell Cubbie Station "disgraceful and sneaky".

Mr Swan last night said the decision to sell Cubbie would save Australian jobs. He said Senator Joyce's opposition to the sale was at odds with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.

"On one hand Mr Abbott and (Joe) Hockey have said they support the FIRB process and Chinese investment," Mr Swan said.

Mr Swan criticised Senator Joyce's views as "xenophobic" and said without new investment the viability of Cubbie Station, and about 170 jobs, would be put at risk.

Under the terms of the approval, Ruyi will take an 80 per cent stake in Cubbie, with the Lempriere family, one of Australia's oldest wool processors, taking 20 per cent. The Chinese stake in Cubbie would be sold down to 51 per cent within three years.

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